Breeding for resistance against TR4

After two years of pandemic-induced lockdowns, as do many of you, I am so much looking forward to travel again. Last week, a short trip, some miles across the border, took me to a tropical greenhouse in the Netherlands, for a brief visit to KeyGene’s banana breeding program. An international research team, led by KeyGene’s banana breeder and Fusarium wilt expert Fernando Garcia-Bastidas, who has selected plant materials with resistance to Fusarium Tropical Race 4, also known as Panama disease. This disease is the most imminent threat to the banana industry and to those livelihoods that depend on banana production and consumption for their subsistence. There is currently no known effective treatment to control the disease for Cavendish cultivars. Activities are being undertaken around the world to stop TR4. In the Netherlands, KeyGene and Wageningen University & Research play an active role by developing TR4-resistant banana varieties, improving banana diversity and developing management strategies, in collaboration with research institutes and various companies. I was certainly impressed by the progress this team made. Well done and looking forward to the some further test results and trials !